Charity football tournament will mark six years of mental health awareness in East Kilbride teen's name

Friends and family will gather in memory of a much-loved East Kilbride teenager this weekend to help spread awareness of mental health.

The sixth annual Alex Lindsay Cup in memory of Alexander Iain Bonomy-Lindsay will kick off on Saturday, July 6, at 11am at K-Park in Calderglen Country Park.

Organised by Jack Smith, close friend and trustee of the family’s dedicated mental health charity Adored, 16 teams will compete in a group knockout tournament.

The charity event is held each year to remember 18-year-old Motherwell FC fan Alex who tragically took his own life in July 2018.

Now an annual celebration of Alex’s life, the tournament, has raised tens of thousands of pounds for mental health charities including Adored and Beautiful Inside and Out.

As well as all the footballing action, there will be a coffee van, face painting, bubble wands and punch balloons for families to enjoy a fun-filled day out.

After the tournament and trophy presentation there will be a function held in East Kilbride Rugby Club with music and a raffle with some luxury prizes donated by local businesses.

Inspired by Alex's favourite song, I Wanna be Adored, by The Stone Roses, Adored was established with a focus on mental health and saving young lives.

Commenting on the success of the charity since its inception, Alex’s mum Jill Bonomy-Lindsay said: "I'm extremely proud of what Adored has achieved. Alex was a big personality, a big character, and knew lots of people in East Kilbride.

"The fact that the charity continues spreading awareness in his name makes dealing with his loss, for us as a family, easier because we feel it's not been in vain. Something positive can hopefully come from the tragedy that was his loss."

The charity recently completed a pilot programme with fourth year pupils at Calderglen High School which offers coping strategies for stress and anxiety.

They linked up with No Limits Coaching which is a Scottish independent charity providing a unique combination of prevention, early intervention and crisis support. They offer practical and emotional help and support to young people struggling with life.

It is hoped the initiative will now be rolled out to every secondary in East Kilbride.

Jill added: "We really want to focus on prevention so we provide young people who are suffering from mental health difficulties with strategies and ways to try and cope and deal with the difficulties in life.

"We've completed a pilot programme with fourth years in Calderglen High School in conjunction with No Limits Coaching who have been integral in developing this programme which has been extremely successful.

"They had young people who had struggled to attend school due to anxiety and stress and after working through the programme several of them managed to get back into class and feel confident about the way forward.

"My plan is now to link in with the other secondary schools in the learning community so I can offer this programme to all high schools in East Kilbride. The next phase after that is to develop a bespoke programme for P7 pupils who are transitioning to secondary to provide a positive mindset and help with a smooth transition."

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